Finders Keepers
by Nell McKeon
Summary: Amnesty Days - Written for the challenge prompt Finders Keepers. Heyes and Curry have found something valuable but should they keep it? A short ficlet, slightly tweaked from the original posting.


_In writing ASJ, among the many challenges for me, two stand out the most - names (people and places) and dialogue. For the latest challenge prompt on a writing forum site I set myself a challenge in addition to the prompt. This short ficlet is my only attempt at a dialogue only story. And since dialogue is still difficult the story is very short._

 **Finders Keepers**

"They must be gone by now. It's been hours. Can we risk a light?"

"Guess so. You got a match? My pockets are empty."

"I might in my saddle bags. Give me a minute to feel along the horse for them. Omph, oww, darn it. Don't be dancin' around when we can't see ya, that's it, stand still, good boy."

"What's the matter?"

"I tripped over somethin' and fell into my horse. Ah, found some."

"Thanks for the light, let's get closer to the front so we have some natural light while we plan our next move."

"Whatcha got there, Kid?"

"Don't know, it's what I tripped over. Here, open the sack and take a look, while I take a quick look outside."

"Kid! Kid, get back here. You gotta see this."

"Everything's all clear, Hold the horses, I'm comin'."

"Look at what we found deep in this here dark, dank mine entrance. What do you think the odds are?"

"Whoa, is that what I think it is?"

"Yep, what we have here is glorious, green money. Lot's of it. I reckon in the neighborhood of $30,000."

"We're rich! What are we gonna do?"

"Finders keepers, Kid."

"Well we found it. No… No wait… wait a minute. Now, Heyes, you know as well as me we can't keep it even if we did find it. There is no legitimate reason for a sack of money to be stashed in the middle of nowhere. It's got to belong to someone whose missing it."

"Finders keepers, looser weepers."

"We're the ones who's gonna be weepin' when they throw us in jail for keepin' what don't belong to us."

"Possession is nine tenths of the law."

"Yeah, that's the saying, but it's the tenth tenth that worries me. You know the tenth part of the law that takes exception to our possession of money that we didn't rightfully earn legally."

"Ah Kid, quit worrying. By the looks of that sac, the money's been here for a while. The insurance company probably already paid out on the claim. Or maybe it's part of some miner's cash out that got left behind somehow."

"Nope, more than likely it's the ill-gotten haul from an illegal withdrawl. We should know, we've had to leave our haul cached a time or two and then come back to retrieve it. What if whoever's loot it probably is comes lookin' for it?"

"We'll be long gone. Whoever left it lying like that out in the open, well sorta out in the open, where anyone could trip over it doesn't deserve to keep it. And besides, we're the top outlaws, who's gonna challenge us?"

"Are you kidding? Plenty of wanna be top outlaws would want their own take back. Besides, ain't you forgettin' we're ex-outlaws now."

"I haven't forgot. But…"

"Aren't you the one who's always on me about we can't do this, we can't do that 'cause it jeopardize our amnesty?"

"Yes, but we didn't commit a crime. Besides finder's keepers and possession is …"

"Possession of stolen property is crime, that's the tenth part of the law, Heyes."

"You really think we should turn our find into the law?

"I don't want to but I think we oughta. Don't you? I mean once you quit fingering those bills and get the dollar signs out of your eyes?'

"I don't know, turning in $28, 600 dollars goes against my instincts. We could go to South America."

"We got new instincts now."

"We do?"

"And you don't really want to go to South America, no more than I do."

"No, I don't really want to turn South American."

"So, what are we gonna do about that sack in your hand?"

"We're not too far from the Wyoming border. I guess we're going to go see Lom, turn the money into him and tell him where we found it. Then we're going to take possession of any finder's fee. It's usually ten percent, that's $2,860. Still a nice sum. And if no one claims it, it's all ours, nice and legal."

"I knew you'd find a keeper of a plan."

"Thanks, Kid"

"Your welcome, Heyes."


End file.
